Casey caters too much to our "scorers" -- Rudy and DeMar ... I hate that distinction. Why do you have to peg a couple guys a single role of a "scorer" when in reality, it means running consecutive isolation plays & having your "future point guard" take on a role of a Mario Chalmers in Miami.

Kyle Lowry is probably our best shooter, ball handler & assist man in this team. Why is his usage so low? Why do you choose to give him a role as an entry passer evolving into a camper (for the next 16 seconds in the shot clock)?

Our team is full of chuckers because the coach lets it happen. We resemble a poor man's New York Knicks with all this small ball isolation bullsh!t ... I think that Casey is dead wrong with his approach but I mean, I could care less now because the L's just mean more of a chance of getting a top 3 pick.

“I don’t create controversies. They’re there long before I open my mouth. I just bring them to your attention.”

I've watched Lowry say all the right things, support his team mates including Calderon when he would get hot. I haven't seen him commit a single professional mistake this year...which is what HEADCASES do. Lowry is not a head case. He is not playing to his strengths but being PG requires you to make eight other people better and can take more than four months of starting to get there.

"We only have one rule on this team. What is that rule? E.L.E. That's right's, E.L.E, and what does E.L.E. stand for? EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. Right there up on the wall, because this isn't just a basketball team, this is a lifestyle. ~ Jackie Moon

Casey caters too much to our "scorers" -- Rudy and DeMar ... I hate that distinction. Why do you have to peg a couple guys a single role of a "scorer" when in reality, it means running consecutive isolation plays & having your "future point guard" take on a role of a Mario Chalmers in Miami.

Kyle Lowry is probably our best shooter, ball handler & assist man in this team. Why is his usage so low? Why do you choose to give him a role as an entry passer evolving into a camper (for the next 16 seconds in the shot clock)?

Our team is full of chuckers because the coach lets it happen. We resemble a poor man's New York Knicks with all this small ball isolation bullsh!t ... I think that Casey is dead wrong with his approach but I mean, I could care less now because the L's just mean more of a chance of getting a top 3 pick.

I almost agree with what you're saying. However, I think Casey is really trying to mould Lowry into a complete package, something like a Chris Paul, a guy who can light it up, and dish it off.

Right now, Lowry is only half of the equation: when he gets hot, he can shoot the lights out and get hero baskets. I don't think Lowry has the mentality to get his team game going.

This year line up versus last is a real improvement in terms of talent.

Casey has shown he is a good soldier and great assistant who struggles to fit square pegs in round holes.

I'm not sure how you can say that with such certainty. Neither one is playing horribly above or below their career numbers. This -- what you're seeing now in Toronto -- may be what you get with Lowry/Gay when you try to make them the focal points of your team.

And I'm not talking about the whole team. I'm talking about the two players brought in to lead the whole team. I certainly agree that I'd prefer Casey had played Ross and Valanciunas more this year. Other than that, I don't really have much complaint about how the team has been run from a coaching standpoint, and I don't think any other player has significantly under- or over-performed against realistic expectations.

The point is that EVERY coach struggles to fit square pegs in round holes. That's not a knock on his ability to coach defense, design offense, etc. That's a knock on the people who handed him all those square pegs. Ideally, you want round pegs, or at least, pegs with rounded edges that can be gradually sanded to fit.

Gay and Lowry, at their age and with their history, are definitely square pegs. My preferred solution would be to trade 'em for round ones, not switching out the board for a new one that you hope the pegs will fit into better.

Definition of Statistics: The science of producing unreliable facts from reliable figures.

I'm not sure how you can say that with such certainty. Neither one is playing horribly above or below their career numbers. This -- what you're seeing now in Toronto -- may be what you get with Lowry/Gay when you try to make them the focal points of your team.

And I'm not talking about the whole team. I'm talking about the two players brought in to lead the whole team. I certainly agree that I'd prefer Casey had played Ross and Valanciunas more this year. Other than that, I don't really have much complaint about how the team has been run from a coaching standpoint, and I don't think any other player has significantly under- or over-performed against realistic expectations.

The point is that EVERY coach struggles to fit square pegs in round holes. That's not a knock on his ability to coach defense, design offense, etc. That's a knock on the people who handed him all those square pegs. Ideally, you want round pegs, or at least, pegs with rounded edges that can be gradually sanded to fit.

Gay and Lowry, at their age and with their history, are definitely square pegs. My preferred solution would be to trade 'em for round ones, not switching out the board for a new one that you hope the pegs will fit into better.

Patience goes a long way, I am not ready to give up on casey yet. The season is lost and there is nothing to play for other than building chemistry between players. Casey gets a pass from me, because going with your analogy I think it is detrimental to switch out the board OR trade for different pegs in the short term.

But if we don't win more next year (because that is the most important statistic to me), hell yeah I'd consider replacing a coach (which quite frankly there is a large supply of) over players which we would not likely receive good value for (gay overpaid, lowry contract year).

I also don't agree with the notion that all coaches struggle to adapt.

So from what I'm reading, these numbers are Casey's fault. Well, there are no "facilitators" anywhere on the roster. Someone has to do it or you'll just have 5 individual games of one-on-one. I wouldn't want Rudy Gay doing it -- lo and behold Rudy is no longer "suffering" having a top 3 center and a dominant low-post scorer "clogging" up the lane... and his numbers are just as bad and in some cases worse. I don't think DeRozan is capable of it either, so what exactly is this team supposed to do on offense? Toss the ball up and say GO SCORE SOME POINTS GUYS?

Lowry played a "freewheeling" style (and was extremely productive) early on in the season, and despite his extreme productivity, we were 2-9 in his first 11 starts.

I think Casey has the right idea of playing guys and making them do team-like things. I don't think he's a super-awesome coach, but Lowry dominating the ball is a bad idea. I don't think it's ever a good thing to dominate the ball unless you're a top 5 player in the league. Or if you're, you know, someone who has historically shot better than 42% for the last 6 years.

To paraphrase Charles Barkley, this is like the guy at the end of the night trying to talk himself into one of the 3 ugly fat chicks left at the bar. Lowry is a guy who has a rep of being a sh*t disturber to the point where Chauncey Billups has to sit him down and tell him to stop being a dick. Casey is a coach who hasn't had any success as a head coach and turned out to be really as an assistant when he has Tyson Chandler and Shawn Marion at his disposal. And Calderon, as a starter, lead teams with 33, 40, 22 and 23 wins and hasn't exactly set Detroit on fire. When you're arguing over who's the best of these 3, you know your team is in real trouble.

My guess is the "headcase" part, is Lowry's lack of emotional control. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and his body language changes with the ups and downs. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but when it affects his play: getting a "t" when complaining to refs, clashing with Casey, etc. that could become a detriment.

At some point, he has to see that being moved to another team--again--may not be good for him career-wise. He certainly has the tools to become a top-10 PG, and I do agree with those who want him to play to his strengths, while refining some other qualities as well.